Tyler wiped his hands on his jeans. “Happy to help. Emma instructed me to give you her number and tell you she’s expecting to see you back at Sunday Supper.”
“I know, I didn’t go Sunday because I was packing.” Penny pulled out her phone and opened the contacts, then passed it to him so he could enter it in.
Tyler’s thumbs tapped on her phone. “Well, don’t let Brett keep you away.” He handed it back to her.
Penny frowned. “Why would he?” He was there the week before when she’d gone with Kelty, days after his surgery no less. Otherwise none of this would’ve happened.
Tyler rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s not feeling great. Understandably. He doesn’t want to be a burden.”
Penny nodded, not sure exactly how going to Sunday Supper with his team would be a burden. It wasn’t really any of her business. “Thanks. You’ve all been so welcoming.”
Tyler smiled and rounded the truck. “We’ll have to get together once you’re settled. We’re headed to the Perch this weekend. I gave Brett the details, but you can text Emma, too.”
Penny waved as he got in the truck and started it, then she turned and walked to the steps. So, she’d judged Tyler unfairly when she first met him. He was a nice guy who just happened to look like a bro marketer or prescription drug rep. Maybe her whole worldview was skewed toward the cynical.Maybe she was wearing Danny-coloured glasses.
When she looked up, Brett was standing in the doorway. “Oh. Hey. Thanks for bringing in my bag.” Penny ascended the steps. Brett moved back, leaving room for her to enter, and she thought back to Saturday when she’d met him for the first time.
She took off her shoes, ignoring the way her heart picked up speed, and looked down at the bags in the entryway. Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t think that’s mine.” Penny pointed at a black duffel with letters on the side.
“Oh, no, that’s my hockey stuff.” Brett shuffled past her and bent over to pick it up. “I was just at practice. Got a ride with Tyler, that’s why . . .” He trailed off when he saw the look on her face. “What?”
“You were at hockey practice?” Her eyes flicked down to his brace. That explained the damp hair and clean scent. But even if he was only standing on the ice and practicing stickhandling, the chances of him slipping or—
“I work out in the stands.” He shifted his weight, and Penny met his eyes. “While the team practices, I do calisthenics on the bleachers.”
Penny looked back at the bag. “And you need your equipment for that?”
He shrugged and turned, walking toward the hall. He was wearing jeans today with the brace tight around his right knee.
“I'm sorry I'm taking up so much space in your garage.” Penny grabbed the handle on her bag and rolled it down the hall after him.
“It's fine, it's not like I was using it anyway.”
Brett entered his room, and Penny opened the door to hers. She rolled the bag in and set it next to the wall then went back out to retrieve the rest of her belongings. As Penny shuttled her things, the day crashed into her. This was her life now.
She was hyperaware of Brett moving around outside her door, but didn't want to make anything awkward by walking out into the kitchen. It was getting late, and her eyes felt like they'd been rubbed with sandpaper. The leftover lasagna she’d had at Kelty’s was making her stomach unsettled on top of it on top of it.
Penny made a mental deal with herself to unpack her bathroom items and put one suitcase of clothes away, then she was going to curl up and go to bed. She could deal with the rest of the stuff in the morning.
A knock on the door startled her, and she looked up. “Come in.” Penny sat up on her knees as her pulse quickened.
Brett pushed the door open but didn't take a step past the threshold. He leaned his shoulder on the door frame and slid his hands into his pockets, which only accentuated his musculature under that damn salmon pink shirt.
“I just wanted to check if you needed anything.”
“No, I'm good. Just trying to unpack.”
Brett nodded, wrapped his knuckles on the wood, then turned and hobbled back out into the kitchen. Penny wanted to say something. A part of her wished he would stay and keep her company, but what would they talk about? Just like any roommate, it would take time for them to get to know each other and feel more comfortable.
She only knew that theoretically since she’d neverhadan actual roommate. Housemate. Whatever they were. From the time she left her house, she'd been in a relationship, bouncing from one guy to the next. Sure, there had been a few times when she'd crashed with a friend, but she’d never lived with a complete stranger before.
Penny threw a stack of underwear and socks in one of the top drawers of the dresser Tyler had left. How had she gotten to her early thirties without ever having a traditional roommate experience? She thought she was going to have to figure something out after Lucas died, but then Danny had come along and her whole world had shifted.
A thought occurred to her for the first time. Had she jumped in so hard and fast with Danny because of what happened to Lucas? That was kind of her MO, so it shouldn’t have felt surprising.
Feeling sad?
Find a boyfriend.
